Heineken Sustainability Report 2008

Case study: Sustainable orchards produce golden apples

Bulmers, part of Scottish & Newcastle UK, is based in Hereford in the UK and is one of the oldest and best-known cider makers in the world. The company supports sustainable practices in farming by sourcing its natural raw materials from local farms. This relationship with orchard owners stretches back generations.

“We buy all our apples locally,” says Chris Fairs, Growers’ Advisory Manager at Scottish & Newcastle UK. “This allows us to work in close partnership with our growers and some of these relationships stretch back 40 years. We have more than 1 million trees planted in our contract growers’ orchards and we will be planting approximately 375,000 new trees between 2009 and 2011. In addition, Bulmers has about 1,000 ha of its own orchards.”

Bulmers works with farmers to ensure their orchards are producing the right quality of apples, in a sustainable manner, and in a way that adds to the region’s biodiversity. In order to reward the most successful contract growers, Bulmers runs its Golden Apple competition.

In this competition, independent judges assess the entrants, with a large proportion of marks awarded for environmental management and contribution to biodiversity. Winners in different categories receive financial recognition and awards. The best overall orchard receives the ultimate prize – a genuine golden apple.

As part of its wider engagement with local farms, Bulmers supports the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (an independent UK environmental consultancy), via financial contributions and by offering its orchard expertise during members’ training days. This ensures that vital knowledge continues to be passed on through families and farmers.

Nowhere is this knowledge preservation more evident than at the Bulmers nursery. Active since the 1920s, it is a lasting monument to its long-standing commitment to the future of apple and pear cultivation and to biodiversity. The traditional varieties of apples and pears can all be found here, which can add enormous value to a traditional, grazed orchard, while providing a rich habitat for flora and fauna to flourish.